Bradley Wiggins retires from cycling

Tour de France winner Bradley Wiggins has announced his retirement from cycling

"A lot of people made a lot of money out of it and David Brailsford used it constantly as his calling card, but I always thought it was a load of rubbish," Wiggins said.

"At the end of the day, chimp theories and marginal gains and all these buzzwords - a lot of the time, I just think you have got to get the fundamentals right: go ride your bike, put the work in, and you're either good or you're not good.

"Sometimes in life or in sport, whatever, you're either good at something or you're not.

"That's what makes you a better athlete: your physical ability and whether you've trained enough - not whether you've slept on a certain pillow or mattress."

Wiggins, often an out-spoken figure, has also criticised former Team GB team-mate Victoria Pendleton and her work with legendary sports psychologist Dr Steve Peters, who has work with the England football team on penalties among other high-profile clients.

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Bradley Wiggins was managed by Dave Brailsford during his Team Sky days

"Vicky's a bit of a milkshake anyway," Wiggins added.

"You can overanalyse things but at the end of the day, it's about your ability and whether you're a better athlete than the other person or not.

"Whether you've come to grips with this other person living inside you, it's all a bit... well, each to his own.

"That may work with some people, but as Roy Keane would say: it's utter nonsense."